Kentucky Basketball Edges Texas A&M 74-73, John Calipari Comments On Win

Kentucky fought back from several point deficits to secure a 74-73 home victory over Texas A&M on Tuesday night, and Wildcats coach John Calipari had much to say about his team’s win.

Kentucky vs. Texas A&M Basketball score

The No. 21 Wildcats have now improved to 13-3 and 3-1 in SEC play to place third in the conference. The Aggies held the lead several times throughout the evening.

“I got to give Billy [Kennedy] and A&M credit for the end of the game,” said Calipari. “They had a chance to beat us. Had a chance. It was like, Wait a minute. You miss a couple free throws. How about we were going to switch everything and we left the man in the corner? Yeah, that’s not toughness. See, that means you’re not engaged in what’s going on.”

Freshman forward Kevin Knox made 3 of 4 free throws for 15 points for Kentucky. Another freshman, PJ Washington, finished with 16 points and four rebounds in addition to contributing other great plays for the hosts down the stretch.

First-year Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was playing in place of the injured Quade Green, had 16 points, a career-high seven rebounds and five assists, while Hamidou Diallo added 18 points.

“We won a good game,” Calipari added. “I mean, folks, just understand, A&M lost three players. They were No. 5 in the country. They beat, I believe, West Virginia. They lost to Arizona. I watched that game. They could have beat Arizona easily. It was a touch-and-go game. They have three guys injured.”

The Aggies dropped to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. Kentucky leads the series against Texas A&M 9-3 and has won four straight against the Aggies.

Kentucky extended its streak of 1,029 consecutive games with a 3-pointer when Washington hit a long ball at the 17-minute mark.

Calipari is now 262-56 at Kentucky.

The Wildcats next visit Vanderbilt on Saturday, when the Aggies will visit No. 24 Tennessee.